title: Dietary supplementation of antioxidants improves semen quality of IVF patients in terms of motility, sperm count, and nuclear vacuolization.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to investigate the influence of an oral antioxidative supplementation on sperm quality of in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients, as analyzed by sperm motility according to the WHO criteria and motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME).
  
  
  METHODS
  Semen samples were collected from 147 patients before undergoing an IVF/intracytoplasmic morphologically-selected sperm injection (IMSI) cycle and 2 - 12 months after an antioxidative supplementation. Semen analysis was evaluated according to WHO and MSOME criteria. Spermatozoa were grouped according to the size of nuclear vacuoles within the sperm's heads. Patients were divided into oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT) and non-OAT men. Between first and second semen analysis, patients were supplemented orally with an antioxidative preparation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After the antioxidative therapy we observed a significant reduction in the percentage of immotile sperm cells in the patients. Additionally, the percentage of class I spermatozoa according to MSOME criteria was significantly higher after antioxidative supplementation. In OAT patients the percentage of class I sperm was found to be increased, although not significantly. However, we observed a drastic improvement in sperm motility as well as in total sperm count in this group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrated a considerable improvement in semen quality, notably in OAT patients. Considering the putative relationship between semen quality on the one hand and reactive oxygen species on the other, the observed changes in the sperm parameters indicate that a decline in semen quality, and even subtle morphological changes, might be associated with oxidative stress. Our findings suggest that an antioxidative and micronutrient supplementation has a remarkable benefit for IVF patients having restricted sperm parameters, in particular.
authors.affiliation: IVF Centers Prof Zech, Bregenz, Austria.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wirleitner
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vanderzwalmen
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stecher
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spitzer
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schuff
authors.forename: Delf
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schwerda
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bach
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schechinger
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Herbert Zech
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D055101:Semen Analysis; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species